Tucson, AZ

One of the most exciting things about moving to Tucson is the almost unlimited list of things to do. And if you moved to the desert from Florida like I did, they are all new and exciting.

For one of my first sightseeing treks, I chose the Saguaro National Park — formerly known as the Saguaro National Monument — which is really one park divided into two distinct districts. The Rincon Mountain District, southeast of Tucson and the Tucson Mountain District on the northwest side of the city are about 30 miles apart. I elected to visit the Tucson Mountain District.

Since we have very few desert parks in Florida, I wasn’t sure how to dress or what to take with me. A friend advised me that a good pair of sneakers and a couple of bottles of water should do. So I grabbed my camera, dropped the top on my Miata and headed out.

Getting to the park is fairly easy, hop on I-10 and go out to exit #248, which is Ina Road. Drive west 2.5 miles to Wade Road. Make a left and drive another .6 miles to a big curve where Wade Road will change names to Picture Rocks Road. Drive 6 miles west on Picture Rocks Road to Sandario Road and turn left.

While on Picture Rocks Road you will enter and exit Saguaro National Park. Make sure you have your camera ready because there are some beautiful photo ops along this stretch. On Sandario Road continue 3.5 miles south to Kinney Road and turn left. Two miles down Kinney Road you will find the visitor center on your left.

The visitor’s center is an impressive facility and that staff was equally responsive. The first thing they helped me with was the proper pronunciation of Saguaro — it is “sah-WAH-row. Next they suggested that I take the scenic Bajada loop drive which is an unpaved 7 mile graded dirt road with several scenic pullouts and picnic areas.

Although the signs said that high-clearance vehicles were not required, I decided to err on the side of caution with the low slung Miata. Instead I opted for the walking tour which is only $5.00.

You can’t appreciate the Saguaro without knowing a little about them. As hardy as they appear, the saguaro starts as a shiny black seed about the size of a grain of sand. To compensate for its size, one Saguaro yields thousands of seeds each year, and as many as 30-40 million in a lifetime of 175 - 250 years. From the start, the odds against survival are great.

The Saguaro is the largest and slowest growing cacti in the U.S. and some of them I saw in the park were well over 30 feet tall. A little research in the beautiful visitors center told me that a 10-year-old Saguaro will probably still be less than a foot tall.

It is obvious by living in the desert that the Saguaro doesn’t require a steady source of water. The surprising thing is that the Saguaro actually stores away the water it manages to get and a mature one can weigh as much as 16,000 lbs and be 85% water!
The blooming season runs from late May thru June so we were at the right time to see the Saguaro, or Canegiea gigantean — as the scientists call them — in full bloom. It was a wonderful afternoon and a great way to learn more about Arizona. I hope to get a chance to visit the other half of the Park soon.